The legislation was introduced in bill HB2737 on Feb. 14, when Rep. Michael Halpin (D-72) filed it with the House clerk.
According to the General Assembly website, the bill as introduced was designed to "amend the Soil and Water Conservation Districts Act".
After debate, the House passed the bill and it arrived in the Senate on March 27, and both chambers agreed to the final version of the legislation on May 29. The bill was sent to the governor and signed into law on Aug. 23. The law is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
Illinois legislature enacts laws through bills that can be introduced in either the state House of Representatives or the state Senate. Either chamber of the legislature can reject or amend a bill before it becomes law. Legislators sometimes sponsor "shell bills" devoid of substantive provisions, introduced with the intention of being amended later to include actual legislation.
The following table shows the full history of actions on HB2737.
| Date | Chamber | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 2/14/2019 | House | Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Michael Halpin |
| 2/14/2019 | House | First Reading |
| 2/14/2019 | House | Referred to Rules Committee |
| 2/26/2019 | House | Assigned to Agriculture & Conservation Committee |
| 3/5/2019 | House | Do Pass / Short Debate Agriculture & Conservation Committee; 013-000-000 |
| 3/7/2019 | House | Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Second Reading - Short Debate |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 112-000-000 |
| 3/27/2019 | Senate | Arrive in Senate |
| 3/27/2019 | Senate | First Reading |
| 3/27/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading |
| 3/27/2019 | Senate | Referred to Assignments |
| 3/27/2019 | Senate | Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Scott M. Bennett |
| 4/30/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 1, 2019 |
| 4/30/2019 | Senate | Approved for Consideration Assignments |
| 5/16/2019 | Senate | Second Reading |
| 5/16/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 17, 2019 |
| 5/22/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins |
| 5/24/2019 | Senate | Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Established As May 31, 2019 |
| 5/29/2019 | House | Passed Both Houses |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Third Reading - Passed; 059-000-000 |
| 6/27/2019 | House | Sent to the Governor |
| 8/23/2019 | House | Effective Date January 1, 2020 |
| 8/23/2019 | House | Governor Approved |
| 8/23/2019 | House | Public Act . . . . . . . . . 101-0484 |
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